Monday, March 29, 2010

Breaking news: Settlement in NY bullying case

In January, the federal justice department intervened in a Title IX case in Mohawk, NY involving a male teenager who has been bullied for allegedly acting too effeminate. The justice department agreed that Title IX offered protection against discrimination based on gender expression. And according to an NPR blog, the case has settled with the Mohawk school district agreeing to pay the plaintiff, referred to only as Jacob, $50,000, as well as cover all legal fees and the cost of therapy and provide anti-discrimination training to employees (teachers and administrators were either indifferent, complicit, or part of the bullying). This settlement deal is similar to the one we reported on not too long ago.Thus the settlement is not surprising, though at the time we reported on the potential terms it appeared negotiations had stalled somewhat.I would like to think that the large jury award to a bullying victim in Michigan earlier this month was influential.